Historians hope WWII can inspire global virus fight

NEW YORK－As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, or WWII, many historians hope the lessons of the war can inspire the United States, China and others to join hands in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is an entire generation in the United States that has no idea about the sacrifice of the Chinese during the Japanese aggression, said Gary Lewi, a board member and spokesman of the Museum of American Armor on Long Island, in New York state.

There is a regrettable lack of awareness about WWII, its strategic implications and how it defined China, Europe and the United States, Lewi said.

"So we have a story to tell. You have a story that you need to tell, because that history joins our two countries together, and that's something that has a tendency to be productive," he added.

As for the lessons from WWII, Lewi said it is widely acknowledged that conflicts of any kind, given the power of weapons today, would mark the end of civilization as we know it.

Put into operation in 2014, the museum's mission is to make sure that visitors can feel the history and how it continues to define the 21st century.

Despite the lack of awareness, the intense cooperation and camaraderie forged between Chinese and US military leaders during the war was well-documented by historians.

A legendary historian

The historian John Yee, a former member of the legendary Flying Tigers in WWII, represented that connection as a lieutenant serving in the US army. Yee, a Chinese American and Denver history professor, died last March.

He was vocal in his demand for Japan to officially apologize for atrocities committed against Chinese civilians during the war, and penned a personal letter to Shinzo Abe in 2015.

"He turned history from a black-and-white experience into color," said Mike Coffman, a US Marine and Army veteran who served five terms in the US House of Representatives.

As Coffman's former high school history teacher, Yee influenced thousands of lives－not just as a war hero, but as an educator, said Coffman, adding: "I just hope my grandchildren find a teacher who inspires them to learn as much as Mr Yee did for me."

Meanwhile, as various events are held around the WWII anniversary each year to remember the history, experts look ahead to a future with more international cooperation.

"My own view is one of pacifism. I am deeply opposed, except for extreme defensive necessity, to conflicts between nations that are resolved by bombs and military battles," Patrick T Conley, president of the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame and the Heritage Harbor Foundation, said.

A similar viewpoint was expressed by Paul A Tenkotte, a professor of history at Northern Kentucky University, who said that international negotiations are never easy, but certainly easier and less costly than war.

"Clearly, the Allied effort (in WWII) was much more than any singular nation had anticipated, and to this day seems almost unbelievable in the depth and scope of its sacrifices," he added.

Xinhua